Simple Holiday Cookies

Fuzz started a new school this year and so far I haven’t baked anything for the teachers. Last week the school put out a call for homemade cookies, so I guess it’s time. You’d think choosing a cookie would be easy since I bake every day, but it seems having too many recipes makes it harder to settle on one.

This morning I went through my files and picked a 20 recipes which are simple but excellent/

Simple Holiday Cookies

#1. I made a batch of these Get Well Soon Cookies for a friend. She was instantly cured and the cookies have been getting good reviews ever since. Okay, so only part of that is true. Either way, these would be great for holiday cookie tins. You can use the Christmas colored M&Ms instead of Reese’ Pieces.

#2. The Ultimate Black Bottom Cupcake — Technically, these are cupcakes, but why not take them to a cookie exchange? As in cookie #1, the addition of Christmas colored M&Ms will make them more festive.

#6. Secret Promises made with Dove chocolates. If you’re a white chocolate fan, Dove has a new soft centered white chocolate square out for the holiday (or maybe it’s permanent?). I saw them at Target yesterday and have been wondering how they taste.

#8. Peanut Butter Marshmallow Krispy Brownies start with a boxed mix which you top with a mixture of marshmallow, Rice Krispies, chocolate and peanut butter. If you make them a day ahead and chill them overnight, I don’t think they’d be too messy for a cookie party or event.

#9. It’s been a while since I made Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies, but they are really good. They’re on the crunchy side, so don’t mix them with soft cookies or they might lose that excellent crunch.

18. And keeping with the anise/licorice theme, how about some Sambuca spiked Chocolate Crinkle Cookies? There are a lot of really disappointing recipes out there, but I really liked this old one from Gourmet.

19. If you’re worried about quality and quantity, the title of this recipe should get your attention. The cookies are called 50 Good Cookies. They’re light and delicious and keep well.

20. And finally, my very favorite Tex Mex Chocolate Cookies. They’re double chocolate cookies with a hint of cinnamon and a lingering heat from cayenne. One tip: Use natural cocoa rather than Dutch process. I get the best results (fatter, higher-rising cookies) when I make these with Hershey’s Natural Cocoa Powder and high quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips.

From that list my number one choice would be the Tex Mex cookies. I love them, they’re unique, and they’re fun to serve.
My second choice would be the Eva Longoria cookies. I haven’t made them, but they sound excellent.
My third choice would be the anise cookies. They’re so pretty, and and it’s a holiday flavor that is too often overlooked.
You won’t go wrong with whatever you choose. These twenty are all good choices, and you have hundreds more.
Do you think the Julie Hiasson (?sp) Apricot bars are too messy for a cookie tray? Those are on my all time top five favorite list.

My list is totally different. I always make Old Fashioned Butter Cookies (aka Cutout Cookies), oatmeal raisin cookies (same recipe as Katrina’s mother) for my husband and Mexican wedding cakes for me. My new favorite is Nestle’s Chocolate Mint Dreams, and I want to make a soft ginger cookie like Paradise Bakery’s this year – still trying to find the right recipe.